


Purple Cascades

by CherLnIDA



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Beaches, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Shopping, Short & Sweet, ZaDr Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherLnIDA/pseuds/CherLnIDA
Summary: Part of ZADR Week 3Zim feels excluded from his date on the beach with Dib due to the dirty sea waters hurting his skin, he thinks back to the purple sands and lilac waters, and Dib wants to bring it to him.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Purple Cascades

Purple Cascade 

By Cherilyn Ohlau 

Invader Zim is owed by Jhonen Vasquez and Nickelodeon 

  
  


_Up on melancholy hill_

_There's a plastic tree_

_Are you here with me_

_Just looking out on the day_

_Of another dream_

_Well you can't get what you want_

_But you can get me_

_So let's set out to sea_

_'Cause you are my medicine_

_When you're close to me_

_When you're close to me_

_\- Gorillaz ("Melancholy Hill")_

  
  
  


The earth beaches couldn't compare to the ones on Irk, even if it was mostly a small haven for elites and soldiers to relax on their planet, and used for practice. The sand still felt the same, albeit sometimes rough, but that was the only comparison he could do. Zim couldn't bring himself to swim or go scuba diving, he was scared that pollutants like human body fluids, and the disgusting pipes dumping sewage would make his skin burn. The day at the beach today was supposed to be a special date between him and Dib, but Dib got the better end of the date. He found relics and shells beneath the waves meanwhile Zim tried using the metal detector. He just had a bucket worth of old pennies and bottle caps; out of frustration he kicked the bucket aside, startling Dib. Dib didn't expect Zim to be this unhappy. It was in the middle of Summer Vacation, after tests and finals at their high school, and Zim possibly felt pressure from being unable to work. Dib sat down next to him with a bucket of empty shells the moment they returned back to their towels. Zim bitterly opened his soda bottle, drinking half of it. Dib looked apologetic.

"Sorry, I...I was hoping you would have fun with me," Dib replied, "I forgot you're pretty much allergic to bad water." 

Zim scoffed, "I don't understand _how_ you can even swim in such... _FILTH,"_ he said, putting a hard emphasis on the word as if he had just licked salt. Dib sighed. So much for a romantic day on the shore. 

"Well, what are your—what were beaches like on your home planet?" 

"They were mostly used for soldier training, and…" 

"I'm not asking what they are, Zim, I'm asking what they were like," Dib said, "Were they _always_ just training courses for you?"

Were they just courses? Zim never asked himself such a question before, but there was a hidden pleasure on the war planet. Zim brought his knees to his chest, misty eyed from lost memories of when he was still in the academy. He could remember the smell of bittersweet salt, the blanket of soft purple sand, and lilac waters that were so clear Zim could catch a Jerka fish with his hands. "They were…" Zim breathed softly, "Something you humans call a paradise. The water was clear and lilac, the sand was incredibly soft and purple colored because of the landscape, and...the air was different than this. It was sweet and salty, beyond what's here…" 

"What was the name of the beach? We can go there someday!" Dib encouraged. Zim's sentimental expression splashed into a frown.

"Hotöngar Beach, but there's no way we can go," Zim said, sadly. Dib looked deflated briefly, before his smile beamed again. Zim looked back at him, perplexed, but Dib was a stubborn fool like that.

"Then I can bring it to you!" 

"Empty promises will get you nowhere, you know this. What are you going to do, stuff it in a box?" 

Dib ruffled Zim's wig, giving no direct yes or no, and just suggested they headed to the boardwalk to relax and gather some things from the local shops. Zim gave the ocean one last look while Dib packed up everything, before heading to the car and putting his shell findings in an extra cooler; after they exchanged their clothes in the changing booth, they followed the path to the boardwalk. Zim couldn't help but chuckle as he thought Dib looked stupid in sandles with an alien buckle, brown shorts, and his _black trenchcoat_. The weather was at least ninety or over, and Dib still trudged around in black. 

"What happened to your shirt?" Zim teased. 

Dib blanched, "It was caught in seaweed," he said. Zim broke into a hearty cackle. 

"So _even the OCEAN_ is an enemy to the _Dib Beast,"_ Zim laughed, " _Can't even handle a little sea weeeeeeds?"_

"Seaweed can grow to one hundred feet. If you think it's so miniscule, why don't you wear my seaweed covered T-shirt?" 

"Zim will not wear your stinky shirt covered in ocean weeds...wait, one hundred feet?! So tall?!" 

Dib raised an eyebrow in exasperation, "Look, we're having a date here, you know. I'm sorry for your crummy day on the beach. So, can I make it up to you?" he said gently. 

"You've done nothing wrong. It's not your fault all but unfiltered water just burns me," Zim said looking up at him. He turned away, feeling a wave of embarrassment when Dib's expression looked apologetic still, "Don't look at me like that, must you always snivel about my disadvantages?" 

"I just feel bad you just can't enjoy a day with me because of it," Dib took his hand, "You want to cool down at the ice cream shop—" he started.

" _Zim_ demands frozen yogurt. I cannot handle frozen drippy sticky frozen cow liquids on my claws." 

"Urgh, must you say it that way?" 

  
  
  


Zim sat next to Dib at the frozen yogurt shop, Zim had ordered a jumbo parfait while Dib stuck with a bowl of frozen yogurt, topped with fruit shaped balls to satisfy Zim's ridiculous demands that Dib needed to eat more. Zim was merely trying his best to be supporting, even if he showed fangs and snarled a little and the smallest inconvenience; but Zim was typically like that, his expression of worry came with his barking. Zim had ended up dozing off after eating, and he heard movement of Dib leaving the table. He didn't think much of it, other than Dib must've headed to the bathroom since he did drink a soda with his frozen yogurt bowl. 

Zim suddenly jolted awake when he felt his shoulder being shook, thinking it was a stranger he raised up his fist, threatening to make a blow but stopped when he realized it was Dib with a cart of...weird supplies? Zim felt his antenna beneath his wig twitch with curiosity when he overlooked the bags from his seat. Zim noticed a few plastic palm trees and large boxes for installing pool filters. 

Oh…

Oh. 

Did he just complicate things and pushed Dib to decide they should just have a plastic beach date at home? Zim felt a deep sting. It was bad enough Dib was usually stuck in the house, but since Zim couldn't properly enjoy it because of his skin, it felt like a step backward to give Dib some sort of clean air. Zim sighed, looking at Dib with eyes like a scolded puppy. 

"Dib...about what's in the cart…" 

Dib smiled, "Oh this? You'll see when it's ready. I still got a lot to plan out, I have to visit Heart Home Depot, a few extra stores to find something to make my own sand—" Dib was interrupted when Zim slapped him across the cheek. He looked at Zim in shock by the reaction. Zim looked at him as his body trembled. He looked conflicted and frustrated. He wanted Dib to at least tell him at this point he screwed up their beach date, instead of clinging to the idea they could have an artificial one at the house. These...relationships relied on communication, yet why was Dib being so secretive? 

"Just tell me I messed everything up! You don't have to do this, you stupid monkey!" Zim exclaimed, sputtering, "You can have your beach days without me, stop being so incompetent in thinking this _artificial_ one is going to bring you as much joy as a real one!" 

"Zim, this is not about me. I promise. I...it's a surprise, okay?" Dib replied, putting his palms on Zim's shoulders, "Please, wait for three weeks. I want this to be perfect." 

"A surprise? You mean like a gift?" Zim said in awe, "What gift are you going to make with those?" 

Dib chuckled, "It's a surprise, you don't want the surprise to be ruined do you?" 

Zim _usually_ couldn't stand surprises, he was jumpy and easily startled, usually jumping high enough to cling to Dib's house ceiling when Dib tried to give him a surprise party as he didn't know Zim's birth date; and Zim only reacted well if he got surprised wrapped gifts. Zim agreed to this one, because Dib insisted things would be alright. Dib was honest and genuine throughout their relationship, hardly ever lying except his admitting to his occasional money splurging on parascience devices; and that was the extent of it. 

Dib was seen outside in the backyard of the Membrane house from the bedroom window, breaking down sand with a large machine, with Gaz helping him to test out the smooth texture. Zim couldn't help but feel a pit of guilt. Dib really was going through this. Zim slammed the window, fuming at himself more than he was at Dib. Zim fixed his wig and lenses and just sat on the mattress, his cheeks puffing.

"Fu—"

" _Morning,_ my future green son in law!" Professor Membrane exclaimed, causing Zim to flail and fall off the bed, "I finally found time in my schedule to catch up with the three of you!"

Zim slowly got up, rubbing his neck, "Did you just get back from parental therapy?"

Membrane sighed, "Yes, the sessions are always short term...I plan to take Dib with me on my next appointment to...clear things up; although I feel some moments when he was younger are too little, too late for me to apologize," he explained, his goggles expressing a pained grief, "Once Dib is my age, I'll be grey and teetering on retirement. I need to spend as much time with the three of you as I can." 

"Mr. Membrane?" Zim asked.

"Yes?" 

"Why are hu—I mean, why is Dib so stubborn about...things?" 

" _Things?_ Can you be more specific?" 

Zim sighed, "How come Dib sticks to an idea and never lets go of it?"

"Oh! Well, I guess it's ironically inherited in a way," Membrane chuckled, "But he follows this simple ideology, about that you only live once. Dib used to tell me that once he hit thirteen, the boy lives for adventure, and he sure does love feeling like the world is his oyster in a way." 

"You mean Dib likes to be a pirate?" Zim asked in confusion.

Membrane burst out laughing, "No, no, no! That's not what I mean!" he barked in between chuckles, "I mean, when Dib puts his heart and passion into something. He never let's it go. Which is why I'm so happy he's found a loving boyfriend like you. He's never going to let you go...not in a creepy kooky possessive sort of way with knives." Zim gave a soft smile at the assurance, but he still felt conflicted inside where this plan Dib had was going. 

  
  


Dib had blindfolded Zim after another week, with Friday slipping into Saturday. Zim was annoyed by the past interruptions during his lab work, but instead he had made an exception this time with very little snapping and with more acceptance. Dib walked him down to Dib's own personal lab, taking an elevator and steps to the newest section of the house itself. Zim could recognize the smell of fresh sand, and clear water, it felt flagrant and refreshing; Dib slowly took off the blindfold and Zim looked in amazement at the lilac waters in a large pool, with ground purple sand around it, that almost felt as smooth as sand from the hourglass. Dib also put artificially made palm trees to look as detailed as possible, and holographic seagulls that flew above them. Zim laughed, both in amusement and in happiness. He could feel the hot tears spill out with each chuckle. 

"You're an idiot," Zim sighed, "You didn't have to do a thing. I could have upgraded my glue bath, but instead you…" 

Dib winced, "Do you not like it?" he asked. 

"No, I love all of it. The fact that I adore this silly build up you did makes me hate myself," Zim explained, smiling, "I'm going to have to pay you back for this, you stupid human." 

Dib laughed, "Can't you just say you love it?" he teased. Zim smirked smugly and pushed Dib into the pool. Dib rose up and glared, half amused. 

"Freaking bug, I'm not even in my swim trunks yet!" Dib called. 

"Oh, you can swim fine without them." 

"Tch, jackass," Dib chuckled, "Hey, Zim, you better get over here. I think I left some _buried treasure_ in the water."

"You **what**?!" Zim leaned over the water and Dib playfully pulled him in, causing the two to get soaked in water from their head to their boots; when Zim rose up from the waters, he held Dib by his waist. The two couldn't stop laughing at the electric feeling that flew through them, and Zim hadn't laughed this happily since his days on those purple beaches. 

**Author's Note:**

> Summer is making me haggard in updating lately, like heat, bugs, allergies are just stuff my body cannot stand. XD I remember seeing a prompt for the beach for one of the prompts in the poll on the discord; so I finally figured, sure, I'll make a beach ZADR piece. This short story in particular was inspired by Melancholy Hill from the Plastic Beach album, because it's been years since I went to the beach and because of the pandemic, I'm not going to beach anytime soon...so this was a good way to stroke up memories of visiting beaches in my youth, especially Zuma Beach.


End file.
